There's Nothing left to be Done
by Trauts
Summary: Sonic has come face-to-face with something he has known for a long time. Something he cannot run from, and actually giving in would make everything so much worse… Sonic/Tails. Only rated M for Violence and Infrequent Swearing.
1. Throw it All Away

This is a SonTails oneshot that-I would like to point out-I wrote specifically for **The Red Tail**'s SonTails community. I am taking a break from my story-in-progress (_Shadows of a Silver Mind_) to write this.

If enough people like this and ask me to, I MIGHT make this into a twoshot or even a multi-chapter story. Please be aware that if I do continue this, it will be after I have finished _Shadows of a Silver Mind_, which is still my main project.

All Sonic characters and bla bla bla are owned by SEGA, to the detriment of some.

_**Throw it All Away **_

'_Why now?' _

A familiar blue blur sped through the streets of Westopolis. A man knelt down to explain to his young daughter what it was as she clutched his hand in confusion of the loud booming sound that followed it…

'_Why me?'_

He told his daughter of the great and heroic deeds done by the famous "Sonic the Hedgehog". He told her of the mighty Hedgehog's friends and allies who had helped him through all of his adventures. Some of these unlikely heroes included a grumpy red Echidna, a beautiful pink Hedgehog and a two-tailed Fox…

'_Why _him_!'_

The little girl asked to know more about them, wondering how these animals could have done such things. The man smiled and told her more of the superhuman Knuckles who lived on a floating island, the stubborn Amy who always ran after her hero and the genius Miles, nicknamed "Tails" by most. He told her of how Sonic saw Tails as a little brother…

'_A "little brother"? If only that were true…'_

...

Sonic left the city, swerving quickly through the maze of trees outside as he tried to drown his thoughts in the concentration required to navigate at such speeds.

'_I've been able to cope with this before, why doesn't it fly by like everything else?_' Sonic asked himself, hoping for an answer to come out of nowhere as he kept his pace, watching the city and the trees disappear from his sight as quickly as they entered it.

'_He's a _kid_ for Christ's sake!_'Sonic told himself, borrowing the curse he had heard from his time working with G.U.N soldiers. He finally screeched to a halt as his concentration faltered in the flood of thoughts he was receiving. He rested his forehead on a tree, ignoring the uncomfortably rough surface and the pieces of bark that broke off, sticking in his fur.

'_Why couldn't I just fall in love with Amy or something?_'Sonic almost yelled aloud, his composure falling apart rapidly now that he was alone.

'_Why a male…no… Why a _child_!_'Sonic hopelessly threw his fist into the wood above his head, causing a fresh cascade of bark to get tangled in his quills. Sonic held little care for such distinctions between sexual preferences, reasoning everyone had the right to love who they wish. But…

'_Oh it's all fine and good for _me_ perhaps, but the Humans?_'Sonic knew of the number of humans who thought otherwise.

'_The public?_'If Sonic recalled correctly, it was a human crime to hold non family-orientated love for one of Tails' age.

'_The media!_'Worst of all, if they knew, he wouldn't only be ruining his own reputation and life, but ruining the life of the one person he cares most about.

'_Tails… What can I do? If I tell you, rejection is almost certain. But acceptance… that's much worse._' Sonic stepped away from the tree, throwing a kick at it as his emotion started to seep through the cracks of his sanity. He started to think of what would happen to them even if Tails did return his love.

'_I can see the headlines now…_' Sonic spat on the ground, noticing the large chunk of wood his foot had dislodged from the tree.

'_Sonic the Hedgehog: Hero or Pedophile?_' Sonic darkly suggested to himself. He tried to stop his train of thought, but the section of his mind that was in control, stayed in control.

'_Sonic the Hedgehog, savior of the world countless times over, has been revealed to hold a perverse love of his pre-teen "sidekick" Miles "Tails" Prower._' Sonic realized with detached wonder how even his own mind could sound mocking. The hedgehog fell to his knees on the dirt-covered earth as the flood of emotions he had always held up came rushing at him.

'_I tried to be strong, I tried to ignore it._' He thought helplessly as his sanity cracked further, allowing more emotions through.

'_No-one would understand, no-one cares._' Sonic told himself, his darker persona slipping through the barrier of strength and carelessness had had always relied on.

'_Amy would be disgusted while Knuckles and Shadow would smirk in contempt._' He convinced himself, not noticing how quickly his thoughts, morals and beliefs had changed. He couldn't deny it, the world be damned.

'_Tails, I love you._' An image of Tails smiling at him, twisting his namesake tails adorably behind him entered Sonic's mind, slowing his descent into certain madness.

'_Adorable…there's no other word that quite describes you..._' Sonic went on, his anger for what others would think finally brought to a halt as he thought of his brother, his sidekick…

'…my_ love._'

'_And it's because of all this, that I can't tell you._' Sonic realized, his mind gaining a newfound clarity with those words.

He couldn't look Tails in the face day after day without telling him, yet he couldn't possibly bring the fox into this. Suicide had occurred to him, but even in his broken state, Sonic the Hedgehog knew that wasn't an option.

It was after many minutes of kneeling in the cold earth, that Sonic realized what he could do. He stood up, shaking his head at his own previous anger, scattering most of the bark lodged in his fur. He didn't smile. He wasn't sure when he would smile properly again. He stood for a second, pulling his previous sanity together, refusing to let the anger break free once more.

He would confess to Tails, then go. Leave to live the life he once had. He had fought alone once before, he could do it again. Just like it was before friends...

Before love.

...

Tails' workshop was a mess; there was no other way to describe it. Pieces of probable junk lined the walls and littered what could be seen of the concrete floor. Un-cleaned oil spills and random assortments of nuts and bolts on the floor made it a difficult place to walk through safely, despite the size of the room.

Tails screwed on a plate to the underside of the X-tornado, having taken it off to fix some blockages in the engine due to frozen fuel. The fox made a note to himself to fix in an auto-heater for the X-tornado's engines so the fuel doesn't freeze when the aircraft is left in the snow.

The two-tailed fox admired his machine, as he never failed to do. As effective as a fighter-jet only considerably faster, it always gave him a sense of achievement when he looked at the metallic gleam that just seemed to cover the plane. Tails' moment of satisfaction was quickly interrupted by a slow gurgling of his stomach.

"Ah, I must've forgotten lunch again." He realized as he saw how late in the afternoon it was already. Knowing that Sonic would still doubtlessly be out running, Tails turned from his vehicle to get himself some food.

Tails began to push his tails into a circular motion they were so familiar with, using the propulsion to hover above the treacherous floor of his workshop, making his way to the kitchen. He stopped once at the bathroom in the hallway to wash his gloves of all the grime they had picked up in the work he had done.

Having cleaned his gloves, he continued to hover to the kitchen so his oil-stained shoes didn't mar the creamy-white carpet of the house he shared with Sonic.

The fox, while mature, was still a child in many aspects, and it showed in the face of glee he recklessly had as he opened the fridge, looking for something to eat. His glee left him as he was once again reminded of the notorious appetite of his bigger "brother".

Empty.

Tails closed the fridge, figuring that he was definitely overdue for a trip to the shops. Returning to his workshop, he picked up his wallet he left on a greasy bench along with some of his tools and went outside. He put the wallet in a cleverly-hidden pouch of skin that was something resembling a pocket in a pair of trousers.

Tails put on a backpack he always left by the door for such a situation. He knew from experience he wouldn't be able to fly back from the shops and walking the short distance back to the well-concealed house while carrying a few plastic bags full of shopping was an uncomfortable event, seeing as the hand-holds for the bags dug into his palms painfully. Nonetheless, Tails was stronger than any other human his age thanks to his long days of exercise running around with Sonic and carrying others with him in flight, so he knew he could manage the walk with a bit of weight on his back with little problem.

It wasn't a long distance to the store Sonic and Tails frequented, three miles at the most. It was an average store just within the boundaries of Westopolis. While it was relatively well-known that Sonic and Tails occasionally turned up there for their own food supply, it was still in a quiet part of the city so it was rarely crowded.

Tails didn't bother with locking the house, knowing that it was hidden from most people so they weren't swarmed by fans. No road led to the house for this reason, and it was surrounded by trees on every side. After double-checking he had the backpack, the young fox took to the air, tails spinning rapidly.

"So that's all you would like?" The man behind the counter confirmed as the young fox placed his items on the counter. He quickly checked over his own mental list of items that he'd bought. Chilli dogs for Sonic, some extra fruit, sliced bread...Tails checked off all the major ones before nodding to the cashier. The cashier scanned all of the items, putting them into plastic bags. He was fine with the fact he was packaging items for someone who was-one way or another-a celebrity, a hero even, in his own right since he'd already served Tails or Sonic a few times before.

"The total price comes to-"

"24 dollars and 13 cents." Tails finished, having already done the arithmetic and pulled out the appropriate money. The cashier smiled, putting the bags on the counter next to him for Tails to pick up.

"Right again, Mr. Prower. And thank you for the autograph last time you came, my daughter could hardly believe that I'd met _the_ Miles Prower." He thanked Tails with a grin. Tails sent the familiar employee a grin of his own as he filled his pack with the groceries.

"Just Tails, please. And you're welcome anytime." Tails said politely as he zipped his bag and settled it on his shoulders. He waved to the cashier as he left the store.

The sun was setting as Tails left the shop, a chilly wind had picked up and the clouds above were grey, threatening to rain. Tails rubbed his cold arms for a second to warm them before making his way down an empty street towards his house. He had taken the route many times and he favored it since there were rarely any people there to ask for his autograph or to bombard him with questions. While Tails didn't mind giving autographs, he hated being the center of attention, which-naturally-often resulted from being famous.

His feet made little noise on the pavement as the bright yellow fox hurried through the streets, past the disused alleys and shabby housing. Tails didn't stop to wonder how the wealthy, well-ordered humans could stand to let their own live in such poverty as he normally did. He rushed home, hoping to get there before the wind brought any rain. _That_ would be unpleasant to walk home in. He was reaching the last block of abandoned housing before the ends of the city when a hand reached out from an alleyway he was rushing past and clutched his wrist with surprising strength.

Tails managed to let out a surprised yelp before he was dragged into the alley and another filthy hand covered his muzzle. His eyes widened and his heart beat faster as he saw the unfamiliar human face of his assailant. The man's face was caked in weeks of filth and sweat. He had both the look and the smell of one who hadn't bathed in a long time. His face was glaring at the fox with the unmistakable look of jealously.

"Look you little _freak_," he literally spat at Tails, his spat saliva falling on Tails' cheek. "I'll lay this out for you, nice and simple. You give me your wallet, or whatever the fuck you keep your money in, and no-one gets hurt." He threatened, ripping apart the straps holding Tails' bag in place before lifting the terrified fox and slamming him against the brick wall of the alley.

Tails' vision was swaying from the force he had hit the wall with. Terror filled him at the brutality of his attacker. His fur was rising everywhere in instinctive defense. Through his dizziness, Tails was shocked at not only the attack, but the fact that the attack was done on _him_. But if this person thought Tails was just a child who would surrender easily, he was dead wrong. Despite the dizziness, Tails swung what he could of his body, kicking his foot into the man's stomach with no little force.

The mugger dropped him in surprise and staggered back leaving Tails to hit the ground, bringing another wave of dizziness. The man recovered faster than the fox.

"You little bastard!" He yelled, kicking the young genius that was still lying on the cold, concrete floor. Tails felt the force of his kick in his ribs, relentless pain shooting all over his body from the blow. He tried to get up, to get away from this crazed attacker. As he got up to his knees, a merciless kick to the head knocked him down again, scraping his head over the rough ground.

"Not so high-an'-mighty now? Eh?" The mugger taunted, throwing another kick at the vulnerable boy beneath him, heedless of the blood already staining the face of the hero.

'_Sonic…_' Tails pleaded as fresh shots of pain racked his body from the kicks. Further thought was incapable as his mind burned from the relentless assault as tears streamed down his face.

The assailant prepared for another kick at the fox on the ground before being thrown off his feet by a blast of energy. At the opening to the alley stood a creature that held little resemblance to the blue hero he was often to most people.

"You chose the wrong fox to mess with…" Whispered a voice laced with obvious madness. Fittingly, a bark of hysteric laughter erupted from the creature's throat as it threw another set of energy-based blasts at the human.

While the creature still retained most of his hedgehog features, his fur had turned a blue that was a mere shade away from pure black. No pupils existed in the blank white of its eyes and his normally-down quills rose with similar energies to that of a Super form. Instead of the golden-yellow glow from positive Chaos Energies, this creature was surrounded by a grayish-blue aura representing the negative Chaos Energies powering the form.

The creature lifted a light blue Chaos Emerald in his hand, despite the fact the human was already bleeding badly from the previous blasts, and prepared to let loose more bolts of energy at the once-mugger. The creature grinned as it did this; preparing to kill the human with the same lack of mercy the human had shown when he attacked Tails.

"S-sonic?" A weak voice from the ground whimpered. The creature looked down in response to the name, its blank eyes staring at Tails. It shook his head and lifted the Chaos Emerald once more, preparing once more to kill the human.

"S-sonic…don't…" The fox pleaded, now sure that the monster above him was Sonic. No matter what the mugger had done, he didn't deserve death. And Tails couldn't forget one thing that made Sonic so special, for all his strength.

He wasn't a killer.

The black creature clutched the Emerald, its body shaking in some internal fight.

"Sonic..." Tails begged once more.

The name cut through the creatures mind as it dropped the emerald, letting it fall to the ground with an audible clatter. Heedless now of everything else, it knelt down and embraced the injured young fox. Tails clutched tightly to the warm fur holding him as tears streamed down his face at the pain he had just suffered through.

As they held one another, the creature's fur slowly brightened and its quills fell. It blinked, and when the eyes re-opened, pupils had once again appeared on its face. The face of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic held Tails close, whispering two words in the youth's ear non-stop.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" Sonic said over and over to the sobbing fox, calming him by running his hand through Tails' fur. Finally, the fox finally calmed in the gentle motions of his "brother". Seeing that Tails was finally okay, Sonic gave his body one last squeeze before standing up, holding Tails in his arms.

Once Sonic had stood up, he retrieved the Chaos Emerald and glared at the barely-conscience mugger on the ground; broken bones were obvious through his ribs and arm. Sonic fished out an almost-unused phone from his spines and tossed it next to the human.

"Go call an ambulance or something; you're not my problem anymore." Sonic hissed coldly, knowing that if he was treated by a hospital, then questions would arise from his state and he would eventually be thrown in prison for assault once they found out of his attempted mugging.

Tails clutched a Sonic's neck childishly at the tone of his voice. Sonic petted him calming as he held the fox tighter, possessively.

"Let's get you to a hospital, Ok little bud?" Sonic crooned to Tails as he rushed off, leaving the human lying on the cold concrete as it started to rain.

...

The freshly-bandaged Tails was lying in a hospital bed; waiting for the doctor was currently off to check the X-rays to see if any of Tails' bones were fractured. Sonic was standing over him, clutching Tails hand tightly, although both knew that Tails was now safe.

"I-I'm….s-sorry Sonic…" Tails apologized, his lower cheek wavering, his face obviously ready to burst into tears. Sonic looked at Tails sadly, the fox's blue eyes meeting Sonic's green.

"It's okay, little bud. You don't have anything to apologize about. _I'm _the one apologizing here." Sonic soothed. Tails' head fell, breaking the eye-contact.

"But i-if I had just…" Tails began before being cut off by Sonic.

"You didn't do anything wrong Tails, and there's no point in "ifs"." Sonic assured the fox. Tails clutched his hero's hand.

"Thank you, Sonic…" Tails whimpered quietly. The words sparked new feelings in Sonic. Feelings of care, of warmth…of love. Sonic prepared himself to throw it all away with what he knew he must do, for both himself and Tails.

As if he read his mind, Tails clutched at Sonic's hand.

"Sonic? Promise me you won't leave…" Tails asked. Sonic looked down at his brother, no…his soul mate, hating himself for not being able promise Tails the one thing the mechanic so wanted. Tails looked up at him when he realized the hedgehog wasn't answering.

"S-sonic?" Sonic looked away and tore his hand from Tails'

"...Amy and Cream should be here soon, they're worried about you." Sonic changed the subject as he headed for the door, "I love you, buddy. More than you'll ever know..." Sonic finally confessed, opening the door to leave. Tails tried to sit up despite his bandaging as he saw Sonic open the door.

"Sonic?" He cried in fear, searching for some kind of joke in his hero's eyes. Sonic looked at him once more sadly.

"…Goodbye, my love." Sonic finished before rushing out of the hospital, trying to get away from the pained cry that followed him.

"Sonic!"

...

A still-familiar blue blur sped through the streets of Westopolis. As the Sonic Boom echoed through the city, a little girl tugged at her father's cloak.

"Daddy, daddy! I think I saw Sonic!" The little girl cried in glee, tugging furiously at her father's cloak. The man's face turned grim as he feigned interest in his daughter's cries. The little girl noticed the face.

"Daddy? Why do you look sad?" She asked innocently, "Is it something to do with what made you sad when you read the newspapers before?" The man's face looked at his daughter's eyes and realized that she wasn't going to be satisfied until she knew. He knelt down beside her.

"Sonic hasn't been seen in days, dear." The man stated. The girl put a hand on her hip.

"But I just saw him daddy!" The man shook his head.

"I know you did, but no-one has actually talked to him. He hasn't stopped for anyone and no-one knows where he is." He tried to explain. His daughter looked at him in confusion.

"But what about Knuckles and Amy and Tails? He's talking to them, so they know where he is, right?" The man's face didn't change.

"They're all trying to find him, but he hasn't stopped to talk to any of them. It is like he doesn't want to talk to them, dear."

"But why not?" The girl shouted, wanting to know why. The man shushed her and shook his head.

"I don't know, dear. I don't know…"

There you have it.

I'd like to point out to anyone who has noticed the way I write Shadow's experiences in G.U.N headquarters in my other story…yes, you may have noticed I like testing how humans act around the Sonic characters…how they "fit in" if you will.

If you liked, please review. If you DIDN'T like, please review.

While we're talking about Sonic, I'd like feedback to see if people liked how I sort of separated Dark Sonic as if it was an entirely different person from normal Sonic. 

Remember, I MIGHT continue this eventually if enough people want, but keep in mind I originally wrote this purely to be a oneshot.


	2. Open Your Heart

The original plan was to just write the Sonic/Tails oneshot and get back to my main story, but writing Sonic/Tails seems so much more…relevant, somehow. I had such great reviews that I have decided to continue this. _Shadows of a Silver Mind_ will have to wait, though I plan to re-make the entire story soon, more information on my profile.

Now, more explanations on how _Tails_ feels about all this. Instead of direct "thoughts" I'll be testing how it works in a more 3rd person-like format, though it hasn't turned out how I'd like in some parts... 

Oh yes, and I'd like to dedicate this chapter to a couple of people:

One is **The Red Tail**, once again, as an apology for an argument we had some time ago.

The other person is a far better writer than me, though their stories are not found on this site, and someone who is very close to my heart. They know who they are.

Also, I'd like to thank **Basket of Black Roses** for offering to beta-read this and aid me in writing some parts, despite not often a reader of such a pairing. 

Enjoy this new chapter, and I apologize for the wait. Note that the beginning of this chapter is set before the "Epilogue"-like ending to the previous chapter.

_**Open your Heart**_

'_Why, Sonic?_'

A man put down his newspaper, sinking deeper into his cheap armchair with a frown. His wife, sitting across the room, looked at him, her attention drawn.

'_You _left_ me. You left me there, alone._'

He picked up the newspaper and showed its cover to his love. A picture of Sonic and Tails, standing beside each other with Sonic's arm over Tails' shoulder took up much of the page. He turned the newspaper around and read aloud, glad that their little girl had gone to bed some time ago.

'_You said…you said you loved me…more than a brother…_'

His voice carried the words of the print clearly:

"World hero Miles Tails Prower is undergoing treatment in the Soleanna Local Hospital after he was brutally attacked by an unidentified male at approximately 6:30pm on the 13th of October 2004, in an attempted mugging. The assault occurred on Rave Avenue, two blocks away from Lakeside Market in the city of Soleanna. The fox was beaten and kicked by an older, stronger human male. No statements have been made from the fox, but it is suspected that famous hero Sonic the Hedgehog had stepped in and defended his younger 'brother'. Sonic had rushed Tails to the Soleanna Local Hospital after the assault, and shortly afterwards called ambulances picked up the attacker who is undergoing treatment for multiple fractures to his left leg and broken ribs, and is to be arrested after treatment. No name has been released of the middle-aged assailant. Eyewitness accounts state that Sonic the Hedgehog had soon ran from the Hospital, and no confirmed sightings of him have been recorded..."  
The man ended his speech there, remembering the day. That was the day Tails had spoken to him last, insisting that he was to be called "Tails" rather than "Mr. Prower".

'_Why then, did you leave me? Why then, have you not come back? I don't…I don't understand…_'

...

Tails sat on his borrowed bed, wrapping his own tails for the fleeting feeling of warmth and comfort. He stared at the door to the rest of Vanilla's house as his mind replayed what happened in the hospital that night, hoping for some clue as to why Sonic had ran.

His eyes closed, fighting tears as he remembered Sonic pulling his hand away from him, heading for the door…

A loud knocking interrupted his thoughts, a warm, motherly voice floating into the room from the other side of the closed bedroom door.

"Tails? Are you sure you do not want anything?" Vanilla asked politely through the door. The fox made sure he cleared his throat silently before answering.

"I'm fine, aunt Vanilla." He replied, keeping any emotion from his voice so not to alarm the rabbit who had so kindly invited him to stay with her and Cream. "Stay with us until Sonic comes back" she had said. _If _he comes back, more like it.

"Very well. Would you like me to come in?" The older rabbit asked her guest, knowing that Tails might just want to talk to someone. Tails hung his head, letting out an inaudible sigh.

"No thank you. I'm _fine_, aunt Vanilla. Honest." He assured her once again through the door, wanting nothing more than to be left alone.

"Of course, dear. Just remember, if you want anything, you just have to ask." Vanilla reminded the fox, though she sounded unconvinced by his insistence, before walking down the hall to check on Cream.

Tails heard her footsteps fade as she walked off. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be here, sitting, doing _nothing _while Sonic is out there. He shouldn't be inside a heated house on a soft bed while the person who has protected him…protected everyone, was probably searching for food, somewhere, somehow.

But…what could he do? Sonic was so sincere in the way he had said goodbye… so… deliberate. Why had he done this, where could he be, why wasn't he **here**?

A shadow, a mockery of a smile appeared on Tails' face as he remembered Amy's and Knuckles' anger at the Hedgehog when they came to see Tails at the hospital. Now that he looked back, he was surprised that Knuckles had come. Amy, Knuckles, Cream and Vanilla had arrived to see him lying on the hospital bed, alone, lying in shock and confusion.

All of them were genuinely shocked to see the fox alone in his hospital bed. Amy had quickly vowed to make sure Sonic apologized to Tails when she next saw him while Knuckles threatened to thin air that he'll beat the hedgehog to a pulp, emphasizing his threat by punching an imaginary enemy. Tails had kept quiet about what Sonic had said, only telling them that he'd left. He couldn't bring himself to tell them the whole story, or what Sonic had said to him. Fortunately, they hadn't pushed the subject of Sonic, instead worrying over making sure he was alright, though Knuckles had left quickly.

But Tails had thought about what Sonic had said, he had thought long hours about it as he lightly tested his bruises from the attack, gently feeling them for any discomfort. He wasn't so clueless that he hadn't known, or at least guessed, what Sonic had meant, but the news confused him. Why did Sonic "love" him in the only way he could have meant? Why hadn't it ever come up before? Why did he leave at the moment his so-called "love" had needed him most? His heart was surrounded by ice. He was confused, pained, worried.

Tails tried to clear his head, stubbornly focusing on the wall in front of him. Despite his efforts, his mind continued to wander, now on his own feeling for his hero. Sonic was his role-model, his savior, his brother. Tails knew all of that; he idolized Sonic as the perfect hero he was. But love? He'd thought of Sonic, besides from his hero, as his most trusted friend. He wasn't sure of his feelings, but he was sure about one thing.

He would do _anything_ to feel Sonic's secure arms around him again, warming him, comforting him. He would do _anything _to work on his machines, not in a constantly lifeless, silent house but one shared with the kind, joyous hero who had taken him under his wing, who had called him 'buddy'.

He wanted his hero back. And even if he couldn't find Sonic himself, he had to do something.

...

Tails rubbed his numb ears, trying to bring feeling back into the freezing appendages as he waited for an answer from behind the maple-wood door in front of him. He had flown the long distance from Vanilla's, having been put off walking, even though the mugging incident was weeks ago.

As Tails took the time to recover from his experience, Amy had been looking high and low for Sonic-a somewhat common occurrence for her-whilst Knuckles attempted conferring with the Master Emerald in the hope he could find some clue as to where Sonic was, and why he had left. Both had reacted with barely-disguised anger and clear confusion, but they still acted as if he was "just around the corner". Vanilla had been trying to hide her own shock at Sonic's failure to reappear as she comforted her own daughter, saying that "Mr. Sonic's" gone on a holiday.

A cold breeze brought Tails back to the present as he knocked again, trying once more to get an answer from the house. With Sonic gone, everything seemed so… pointless to him. He had never realized that the main reason he loved working on his gadgets so much was because he was hoping to not only help others, but to impress his hero. What was the point working on his machines _now_ though, when no-one was going to use them anymore? Who would they go to? What was the point of designing, what was the point of repairing, what was the point of bothering to do anything? And why? _Why _had he gone? Why after all of these weeks, he hadn't heard so much as a whisper?

He asked himself questions like that a lot, now.

The person in this house may be his best chance of seeing Sonic again… and his best chance of bringing his hero back to him.

"Come on…" Tails begged to the thin, icy air, his teeth beginning to chatter in the cold. He couldn't stay long, he had told Vanilla he was feeling better and was just going to get some things from his workshop and would be mere minutes. Hearing no reply from the house though, Tails finally gave up and prepared for flight as he forced his freezing tails to begin spinning.

Just as his feet left the ground, an unexpected voice caused him to drop back to earth with surprise.

"I would have expected Vanilla to force you to at least bathe. You look worse for wear." Spoke a familiarly flat, emotionless voice. Tails span around, seeing the person he had been trying to get the attention of for the past ten minutes, the hedgehog holding a bright green Chaos Emerald in hand.

"S-shadow…" Tails stuttered in way of a greeting, hiding his face in nervousness as he saw the intimidating red-streaked animal in front of him. Shadow was right; Tails hadn't bothered to clean himself or take care of his fur since his assault.

"You came to see me about Faker, I assume?" Shadow asked simply, using Sonic's nickname in disgust of his blue counterpart's actions,. He had just come from G.U.N, planning only to stop at his house for a few minutes when he saw the disheveled fox.

While he would never admit nor show it, Shadow did not care to see those he considered "allies" hurt. "Friends" was a term you learned to avoid, when you lived amongst those who would die in time while you lived on.

Tails didn't re-act strongly to the mocking nickname of Sonic, possibly due to his obvious lack of sleep since bags were clearly visible under the eyes of the bright yellow fox. Like Shadow, Tails wasted no more time in conversation or pleasantries.

"I need you to find him." Tails stated, little emotion evident in the usually-enthusiastic fox's voice. Tails knew that if Sonic did not want to be found, there was no way he, Knuckles or Amy would ever be able to find the hedgehog, let alone keep up long enough to talk to him. But the one he was speaking to now, may be the only one who could help.

Shadow took a good look at the fox, noting the uncharacteristic bluntness of the words, the untidy condition of his fur, the dirt the fox hadn't bothered to clean out and the desperation in his eyes. Shadow took that one look, and disappeared in a flash of light and a quiet stating of two words.

"Chaos Control."

Tails remained standing where he was for a second, staring blankly at the place where Shadow stood moments ago.

...

"The message has been sent out, if any Guardian Unit of the Nations soldier-undercover, off-duty or otherwise-learns of Sonic's most recent whereabouts, we'll know." The Commander stated to his once-enemy, mismatched eyes boring into Shadow's own. Shadow nodded his thanks, unconcerned by the gaze.

Shadow knew he had little chance of finding Sonic by himself, and so it seemed the fact that the world's international defense organization owed him a few favors would come in handy.

The Commander brought his hands together, placing them on the desk before him.

"Again, I am unsure as to your intentions, Shadow. If Sonic is not coming forward on his own will, he will not come easily. While you know better than I that he isn't aggressive, you cannot expect to achieve anything without force coming into play at some time or another." The Commander reminded his best agent. Shadow's stance and expression did not change as he answered.

"Even though I would win in a clear fight, in the end it won't be down to a matter of force. Sonic will not raise a hand to defend himself unless I strike first, and there are many ways of persuasion even he will respond to. Even so-called "heroes" have weaknesses, Commander." Shadow explained, his voice emotionless. An eyebrow raised on the haggard veteran's face.

"Then what is yours, Shadow?" The Commander probed, standing up from his seat and turning so he was facing the multitude of screens for security camera footage arranged along a wall of his "office", leaving his back to Shadow.

"Attachment. You know how it feels too, Commander. No-one wants to outlive those they truly love."

Had The Commander looked, he would have seen a rare glimpse of pain on Shadow's face, but he had no need to look, for he felt the same feeling, the feeling of loss.

A small buzz emanated from an intercom system placed on The Commander's desk, but when he made no move to answer, Shadow stepped forward to push a red button on its metallic surface.

"Sir, an off-duty sergeant received the emergency G.U.N signal and had just reported seeing Sonic the Hedgehog run in a perfect eastwards direction from the city of Soleanna. The sonic booms generated are giving off-"

Shadow heard no more, he had already left in a flash of light.

Shadow appeared in the open grasslands outside the city of Soleanna in time to hear a wave of sound pass nearby. Wasting no time, Shadow ran in its rough direction, following it until an almost-blurry blue shape could be made out running some distance in front of him, heading for the nearby forest. Shadow forced himself through the sound barrier, catching up to the unsuspecting hero quite quickly, just a few feet behind as they were both forced to slow down as they ran into the forest.

Sonic sensed something keeping up behind him, and knowing only one possible person who could be doing so, he began to waver in his course, taking turns both left and right in an attempt to lose the black hedgehog.

Shadow was not put off, knowing that-unlike Sonic-he did not truly tire from his form of 'skating' rather than Sonic's signature run. He kept up, weaving amongst the trees in pursuit, traveling mile after mile in seconds. Finally, Shadow was within arm's reach of the hedgehog. Taking no chances, he threw himself forward, grabbing Sonic's wrist, before feeling the familiar adrenaline rush as he called out two words before Sonic could respond.

"Chaos Control!" Adrenaline. The familiar rush of energy, of heat, of _power_. Then…

Water. Shock. Disorientating. Cold.

Shadow held on his blue counterpart, even as Sonic's irrational fear took over. Sonic gasped, then instantly regretted it as he felt water rushing into his lungs, his mind faintly registering the salty flavor of the sea. He coughed, bubbles erupting from his mouth before shooting to one direction.

Up. Sonic reached out an arm, remembering enough to know how to propel himself towards the surface where those bubbles of oxygen were already going. But even as he tried to swim, he was held down by an unbreakable grip on his wrist.

Shadow had no problems holding his breath, and held Sonic there for several seconds as the hero floundered, before finally brushing his fingers over the deep green Chaos Emerald in his quills, mouthing the words "Chaos Control".

The water was lit with an explosion of green light as the hedgehogs disappeared.

...

Shadow finally released Sonic as they both appeared inside an empty room. The only noticeable features being a single, small, high security door emblazoned with a G.U.N logo. Sonic raising his upper body on his arms, his pale face heaving with the effort as he coughed the salt water from his lungs.

Unconcerned, Shadow glared at Sonic, spluttering and coughing on the floor. Seconds later, once Sonic could do more than cough, he returned the glare, his eyes full of a rare emotion. Hate. True, unbridled hatred. Shadow growled warningly.

"Do you know how Tails looked when he came to see me?" Shadow hissed before Sonic had a chance to say anything. He wasn't a sympathetic person, but even he knew when something had gone too far.

"So you're becoming soft now, Shadow?" Sonic retorted, standing up, hoping his uncharacteristic rudeness would change the subject as he feigned disinterest. Shadow noticed the split-second blink the name "Tails" brought to Sonic, so he continued.

"He was a wreck. Dirty. Tired. Thin. He looked like he hadn't slept in _days_ or even eaten for that matter." Shadow told Sonic, his voice dangerously low. Shadow wouldn't call Tails a "friend" by any means, but if Faker thinks he was going to go off, act stupidly and completely avoid his so-called friends then…

"He doesn't need me! If _you_'re so worried about him then you take care of him!" Sonic suggested loudly, lowering his face. Shadow caught the almost begging undercurrent to Sonic's words, and briefly wondered on what was haunting the hedgehog.

"He doesn't _want_ me, Faker. What the fuck do you think you're doing anyway? Just hiding and running from your life? You're more cowardly than I thought." Shadow challenged, hoping to get a more positive reaction from the hedgehog. Sonic refused to be taunted.

"It's not about me, Shadow! It's about _him_! Just tell him to forget me for Chaos' sake!" Sonic yelled, pulling something from his spines and raising it above his head as he decided he'd said enough. Reflex caused Shadow to rush at Sonic once he noticed a familiar gleam to the deep blue item.

"Chaos Control!" Sonic yelled as Shadow grabbed Sonic's wrist, dragging the black hedgehog through the teleport. As he hit the new, grass-covered ground, Shadow saw a red boot fill his vision before pain exploded over his face and he was thrown backwards several feet from the force of the unexpected kick, losing consciousness for a second as blood ran down his face from the broken nose.

The Sonic Boom following the kick brought Shadow back to reality as he instinctively recovered, took in the forest surroundings, and set off after the blue blur, heedless of the horrible pain flooding his skull. He knew that his specially designed nervous system would numb after the original burst of pain leaves, removing the potentially crippling feeling.

As Shadow fought to catch up, feet skating furiously, he wondered on Sonic's behavior. Firstly, he actually used a Chaos Control to teleport: something he wasn't accustomed to using and secondly, he had attacked Shadow once again. Unprovoked.

Shadow ignored the wind buffeting his recently-broken nose, forcing himself to skate faster as he jetted past the sound barrier with as much ease as Sonic would. Once again, tracking was not a problem when following something that moved at over a thousand miles per hour, and Shadow soon had Sonic in front of him, the only object in his field of view that was not a blur.

Shadow pushed himself faster, catching up easily, Sonic wasn't running flat-out, having not expected Shadow to persist in coming after him after the kick he delivered. As Shadow got alongside his blue counterpart for the second time that day, he grabbed the hedgehog's arm.

"I've given you way too many chances, Faker. This is something you will not run from. I assure you." Shadow growled loudly as he pulled Sonic to run underneath the sound barrier before taking out a Chaos Emerald once again. Sonic's eyes widened but he was unable to make any sudden movements while at their speed, and watched helplessly as Shadow mouthed two words while staring disgustedly into Sonic's face.

"Chaos Control!"

Sonic lost his footing at the abrupt change of speed and terrain, but his body was roughly jerked upright before he could hit the ground by Shadow's stronger arm. Even as his body regained his footing, Sonic made no move to struggle, resigned to what he knew lay ahead. He made no move to even to lift his gaze from the ground below as Shadow carefully removed Sonic's Chaos Emerald from the hero's spines.. He didn't need to look up; he already knew where Shadow had taken him, for he knew where Tails' had been staying. Shadow ignored Sonic's uncharacteristic-all but unheard of-show of surrender, obdurately looking forward to the front door of Vanilla's large house.

Not a word was exchanged between the two hedgehogs, only a few seconds of silence as each waited for the other to make a move, to speak. When Sonic showed no signs of emerging from his daze, Shadow jerked Sonic forward with him to knock on the door, the Ultimate Life-form's gloved fist making small dents in the expensive wood as the sound echoed throughout the house.

Sonic did not react to the noise, though seconds later his ears flattened as the all-too-familiar quiet sound of bare paws padding along carpeted floor reached him. Sonic knew who it was, but did not look up as the door was pulled open, despite the overpowering urge to look up into the deep, blue eyes he realized he had craved to see in his weeks of solitude.

Silence. Every second that passed was torture to Sonic, to know that he would hear the voice he so craved and dreaded again…

"Sonic?"

The shaking voice pierced the blue hero's heart like a knife, and his soul like a sword. It shook him, it broke him, it elated him. Sonic finally looked up, his eyes locked to those of his love, neither fox nor hedgehog even noticing each other's bedraggled conditions for a moment. Sonic couldn't run, he couldn't do as he had before. Even if Shadow were to let go of him, Sonic was frozen at the sight of the one he had been denied so long.

Tails grappled with the feelings inside of him as the world faded around him, leaving only the eyes of his hero. He hadn't noticed how much Sonic was to him. Sonic was a _part_ of him, a part of his mind, his life, his soul. The blue hedgehog made no attempt to speak, only continuing to gaze unblinkingly into Tails' own eyes. Words finally stuttered out of the fox's mouth.

"Sonic… You…left me…"

Tails finally tore his eyes away from Sonic's as he stepped forward, suppressed _rage _filling him. Anger, _hatred_, to have a part of him ripped away for so long. To be excluded, abandoned by his hero. His fingers clenched as the anger filled his body, flooding his veins with adrenaline.

"You _left _me!"

Sonic made no attempt to avoid the blow, no attempt to block the incoming fist. He let the unexpectedly strong punch throw his head to the side as pain exploded over his jaw, not even noticing Shadow's hand let go of his wrist in a rare moment of surprise. Seconds passed, feeling like hours for all three creatures as they stood there, in anger, pain and surprise. Sonic made no move to numb the pain with his hand, but he turned his head back to Tails' enraged face finally, speaking softly.

"…Again." The blue hedgehog rasped, averting his eyes. The thoughts in his head were of shame. '_I deserve his hatred, this pain…and still more._'

Tails' lifted his fist once again at Sonic's word, preparing to hit the hedgehog again, to give his hero some measure of the pain _he_ had gone through. He saw the bruise show up on Sonic's face, turning from red to purple in seconds… and stopped, dropping his fist. He…he had _hit _Sonic, and the hedgehog…

Something inside Tails snapped, his anger receding as quickly as it had filled him. He looked up into Sonic's downcast eyes once more, and threw his arms around the hero he had missed, the part of him that was missing, and the hedgehog he knew he loved.

Tears streamed from the youth's face. Shame. Joy. Love.

There was no hesitation in Sonic's movements this time, and the hedgehog embraced Tails, holding the fox close with all the strength he could muster, nestling his head against Tails. Life crept back into the husk of the hero, his gloved hands gaining renewed strength as he held the one he had so craved even closer, ignoring the pain the pressure on his bruise caused. They didn't let go, foreheads leaning against one another until a voice cut through their thoughts.

"I would have thought you'd have chosen a more private place than outside of Cream's house to make such a scene. Chaos Control!" As Shadow raised the Chaos Emeralds, blue and green light surrounded the three as the landscape changed dramatically from a sunlit lawn to the familiar, well-heated, junk-filled workshop of Tails' own.

Though neither let go of one another, Sonic and Tails both turned their heads to the black hedgehog leaning on a portion of wall that was, surprisingly, not blocked by shelving or workbenches. Shadow had his eyes closed respectfully as he maintained an air of indifference, appearing oblivious to the two heroes near him. Sonic was the first to speak.

"Shadow…" Sonic began, unsure of where to begin. His mind, normally so casually at ease with everything, was reeling, the close proximity of the fox he was holding didn't make things easier, either.

"Whatever you two care to do is none of my business unless it causes you to act like a complete idiot again, Sonic. I'll go tell Vanilla where you are, but don't look at me for anymore favors, _either_ of you." Shadow stated with resolution. Before any could respond, he lifted both Chaos Emeralds he had, and disappeared in a flash of light and the echoes of a 'Chaos Control'.

Putting Shadow out of his head, Sonic looked back into the face he had missed so as Tails looked straight back at him. Sonic instantly noticed the almost impish grin on his love's face. Though he did not know the reason for the grin, a smile appeared on Sonic's face too, simply with the knowledge that the one he loved looked happy. The smile reignited a spark of the Sonic that had been lost for so long, bringing back a part of the cheerful, confident hero so many knew.

"What are you grinning about?" Sonic asked, a new light in his eyes as he looked at the yellow fox. Tails' grin did not fade, simply returning the look, his eyes lit up, too, after so long without the hedgehog who meant so much to him.

"Shadow took your Chaos Emerald."

Sonic's head instinctively turned to look at the spot where Shadow was standing not long ago, before turning back to Tails, his smile turning to a sheepish grin.

"So he did."

...

"And the total price comes to-"

"-31 dollars and 71 cents." Tails' finished again handing the correct amount of money to the familiar man, the simple arithmetic quickly becoming routine with this particular cashier at the store. After putting the shopping bags down on the bench, the cashier faced Tails again.

"Right once more…Tails. Could I ask what…actually, never mind." The man mentioned with a smile, suppressing the urge to ask about the details of Sonic's return, figuring the media has probably been all over the fox all week, trying to get that information.

Tails thanked the man, shifting slightly uncomfortably as he packed the bags, wondering whether he was going to barrage him with questions as everyone else has seemed to, whether of his attack, Sonic's disappearance or Sonic's return. The cashier's eyes looked past Tails for a second, noticing someone hastily take out a mobile phone at the sight of the fox. He made out the words "reporters", "Tails" and "market" from the woman's excited speech into the phone. Leaning slightly over the counter, the cashier spoke in a quieter voice to the anthromorphic fox.

"And by the way, I should warn you that it's likely the media will be here at any moment, so it would probably be a good idea to fly home today." The man advised, motioning to the woman behind Tails. The youth turned, noticing the same thing the cashier had, and quickly picked up his filled backpack.

"Thanks." The fox said, flashing the cashier a quick smile before walking quickly out of the store.

The man watched the fox leave, leaning on the counter next to him absently as he waited for the reporters to arrive, wanting to see their faces once they realized they just missed the celebrity. As they came and left in disappointment, he smiled, glad that the kid was able to go another day without being swamped by reporters.

Thanks for reading, and remember to review! I'd like criticisms too, by the way: I'm not vain enough to think my writing's perfect, yet I'm ambitious enough to want to know what's wrong.

As a final note to all who mentioned it, I made Sonic out-of-character last chapter with uncharacteristic anger, and I used his overpowering feelings conflicting with his conscience as an excuse. This chapter, I made Sonic out-of-character by making him seem aggressive at times, vulnerable at others, sensitive and generally with a broken spirit. Very much like-as someone who reviewed my other story once put it-a "roller coaster". My excuse this time is just about the same as last time, coupled with the fact he has been alone for **weeks** with thoughts and feelings which running, for once, isn't helping him from.

I need to stop writing such long Author's Notes… 

As a final mention, though. I'm curious to see if anyone will get the significance of the newly-changed Chapter Titles.


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